


In the End

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Drama, Episode Related, M/M, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-02-09
Updated: 2000-02-09
Packaged: 2018-11-10 10:20:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11125140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: Ray catches Fraser watching him.  The final story in the trilogy of "Shadow Dancer" and "Close".This story is a sequel toClose.





	In the End

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

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Disclaimer: I think we all know that these guys aren't mine.  
  
Rating: Still only R. I'm sorry, no wild sex scenes in here... Language  
and implications of slashiness.  
  
Notes: This is the sequel to "Close" which was the sequel to  
"Shadow Dancer". RayK and Fraser, in a romantic relationship.  
That's all I have to say about that. Feedback to,  
where it will be worshipped on bended knee.  
  
Thank you to Maria, Karra, and the rest of Serge for the encouragement  
throughout this little trilogy.  
  
In the End  
by Tara Blue  
  
The cool glass of the window against his hands centered Ray, allowing  
him to regain control. His chest ached from the deep, wracking sobs  
that he had not been able to suppress. His eyes stung. He could feel  
a salty residue left behind on his cheeks by the slowly drying tears,  
making them feel tight and stiff. His nose was running.  
  
Not bothering with a tissue, Ray sniffed until he could breath again.  
  
After letting go, he felt better. Fraser would probably tell him something  
about crying releasing endorphins or whatever, but that didn't really  
matter. What mattered was that Ray felt _better_.  
  
With one last shuddering, slightly damp sigh, Ray opened his eyes, only  
to catch a brief flash of movement across the street on the fire escape.  
Squinting, he tried to make out what was going on, but everything beyond  
a foot past his nose had taken on the soft blur of a water colour painting.  
Groping for his glasses with one hand, he was already patting at his  
bare side for the gun that had been tossed over the couch earlier. Robbery,  
it had to be a robbery, he thought as he hooked the frames around his  
ears and settled them on his nose. A B&E in progress.  
  
Squinting again, more out of habit than out of a need to focus his eyes,  
Ray looked again.  
  
Big man, tall, broad shouldered, wearing dark clothes. Dark hair. Pale  
skin, except the parts of it that were slightly wind chapped and glowing  
red. Blue, blue eyes.  
  
* _Fraser? What?_ * Ray could feel his mouth gaping as he met the  
gaze of his partner through the window pane smudged with finger prints  
and tear streaks. Fraser? Fraser was breaking into a building? That  
wasn't right, couldn't be what was going on. Fraser would never do anything  
illegal.  
  
Red, wind chapped cheeks. He'd been there a while. Sitting on a fire  
escape. Doing what?  
  
Then, as Fraser turned and began running away, taking the metal stairs  
in quick, barely controlled leaps, it clicked.  
  
Fraser had been watching _him_. Watching him dance, watching him  
cry.  
  
* _What the fuck? Oh, never mind, that can wait. Running, Fraser's  
running. Crap. Need to catch him._*  
  
Ignoring the fact that he was sock footed, the fact that he was wearing  
nothing warmer than a thin t-shirt, the fact that his gun and holster  
were still carelessly tossed over the back of the couch rather than in  
their customary places under his arm and across his shoulders, Ray turned  
and ran out of the apartment. The door banged hard into the wall behind  
him, then gently began gliding closed, stopping a couple inches from  
actually latching.  
  
Flying down the stairs, taking two, three in a single leap, slippery  
socks barely providing the traction needed to prevent him from falling  
flat on his ass and sliding the rest of the way on his tailbone. Doors.  
Shit, doors. Skid to a stop, wrench them open, then off again, speeding.  
  
The biting night air returned some of the thought processes to Ray as  
he paused to look right, then left in search for his running partner.  
There.  
  
Fraser was running full tilt down the middle of the sidewalk, arms pumping,  
long legs eating up the pavement.  
  
* _Shit, never going to catch him. Better get a move on._ *  
  
And he was running. The rough cement was abrading the skin on the bottom  
of his feet as he ran, but that didn't matter. He had to catch Fraser.  
Suddenly, he was gaining on the Mountie. Adrenaline was pumping through  
his system, pushing him faster than he'd ever run before, and miracle  
of all miracles, he was gaining on the Mountie.  
  
And then he was there.  
  
"Fraser!" Ray grabbed at whatever he could reach, arm, jacket,  
waistband of the jeans even, dragging backwards until the other man _had_  
to stop. And stop he did, but then he just stood there. Silent, still,  
he refused to even meet Ray's eyes.  
  
"Fras - hhhhuuuhhhh - Fraser. What the _hell_ is - huhhhhhhh."  
The effects of the adrenaline were wearing off, leaving Ray out of breath,  
heavy limbed, and sore footed. And cold. "My apartment, now."  
  
Still uncharacteristically quiet, Fraser followed Ray as the detective  
walked, well, kind of limped really, back down the street, pulling the  
keys he'd thankfully still had stuck in his pocket from earlier. Back  
through the doors, up the stairs, through the open door of his apartment,  
and not a word from Fraser. This time Ray was careful to close and bolt  
the door behind him when he went through.  
  
Ray looked at his partner as the Canadian stood in the center of the  
living room. Fraser still refused to meet his eyes, instead staring  
determinedly at a point on the wall to the left of his head. The silence  
stretched tight between them until it became unbearable and Ray knew  
he had to break it.  
  
"Frase-" Ray began, only to be cut off by the suddenly vocal  
Mountie.  
  
"Ray, I would like to apologise for my actions, which were unconscionable.  
To have ... to have _spied_ on you like that is unforgivable. I  
am absolutely aghast at my conduct in this matter. My only defence is  
that I was worried for you, Ray. Your demeanour when last we parted  
was rather more subdued than I have come to expect from you in our partnership  
thus far, and you seemed as though you were becoming very depressed,  
and I don't know what I thought you would do but I was worried. I just  
wanted to be sure that you were okay. However, to resort to such tactics,  
to act the _peeping tom_ of all things, is inexcusable. I am sorry  
for this violation of your privacy and I beg you to forgive me."  
Fists clenched at his sides, Fraser again lapsed into silence, his eyes  
having never left that intriguing spot left of Ray's ear during the entire  
length of his speech.  
  
" ... ya, uh, want some tea?" Ray finished the sentence he'd  
originally started out to say before being interrupted.  
  
A faint, sheepish look crossed Fraser's face as he realised that he'd  
jumped in to pre-empt an argument that hadn't been eminent. "Uh,  
yes. I'd love some. Thank you, Ray."  
  
"Right. I'll just go ... make tea." Ray needed time to collect  
himself, splash a bit of water on his face, wipe away the evidence of  
the tears he'd been shedding only a few minutes earlier. Not that there  
was really any point in trying to hide the fact he'd been crying, Fraser  
had _watched_ him cry.  
  
Taking two mugs down from the lilting stack of dishes in the cupboard  
above the sink and setting them on the counter, Ray turned to rifle through  
the drawer he _knew_ he'd tossed a box of tea bags into after the  
last time he'd gone shopping. "Tea, tea, where the hell is it?  
I know I bought some ... "  
  
Ah, there. The box had become wedged against the back of the drawer  
and crushed, allowing the small white tea bags to spill out. Grabbing  
a handful, he dumped them on the counter next to the mugs and turned  
to set the kettle up.  
  
It was going to take time for the water to boil. Time which he'd be  
able to compose himself and think. He leaned over the sink and splashed  
some water on his face. The shock of seeing his partner on the fire  
escape, and the adrenaline rush that had resulted from running sock footed  
down the street after the fleeing man, were beginning to wear off. Ray  
was suddenly faced with the fact that Fraser had been _spying_ on  
him. Fraser's own words.  
  
Ray wasn't sure if he should be mad about that or not. To be honest,  
he was, a little. His privacy had been violated, a personal moment witnessed  
by another. Ironically, while Fraser had been hiding outside and peeking  
in the window, Ray had been inside, wishing he was there. That, combined  
with the Fraser's stumbling explanation, served to tamp down most of  
the ire he felt.  
  
How _was_ he to react, if he wasn't really that angry? Did he just  
pretend it hadn't happened? It was a little too late for that. If he'd  
wanted to ignore the whole situation, he shouldn't have chased after  
Fraser and dragged him back. Did he say 'oh, that's okay, Frase, you  
can come and spy on me through my window anytime'? Well, that was just  
dumb.  
  
Actually, he knew how he wanted to react. What Ray really wanted to  
do was go back into the living room, walk right up to Fraser, and kiss  
him for all he was worth. It was a dangerous thought, considering the  
mood Ray was in. He was just sad and lonely and depressed enough to  
actually follow through. He was feeling too vulnerable right now to  
deal with an apologetic Mountie.  
  
So, anger it was. If he got angry, there'd be less of chance that he'd  
do something he'd regret later. Like kiss Fraser. Like lick Fraser.  
Like beg Fraser to hold him, if only for a little while.  
  
Like beg Fraser to let Ray love him.  
  
The very thought made him grimace. It sounded so pathetic. What would  
he say, 'please, my best friend upon whom I have developed a major crush  
complete with repetitive wet dreams and random hard ons at inconvenient  
times, please let me love you.' Yeah, right. And then Fraser would  
leap to his feet and start running again.  
  
So, anger.  
  
The kettle whistled, interrupting Ray's musings and he turned to make  
the tea. Ugh, tea. Disgusting stuff, but Fraser liked it. Ray dumped  
a heaping spoonful of sugar into his cup in the hopes it would make it  
more palatable.  
  
Carrying the two mugs back into the living room, he found Fraser standing  
perfectly still exactly where he'd been when Ray'd left minutes before.  
Those amazing blue eyes were locked on the tan coloured toes of his hiking  
boots, his hands clasped tightly behind him.  
  
"Here." Ray handed over the sugarless tea. "Sit down."  
  
Fraser took the tea and moved over to the couch, equally obedient and  
silent. Ray sat across from him and stared at him for a moment, trying  
to figure out where to start.  
  
"What the hell were ya thinkin', Frase?" The edge in his voice  
made Fraser wince.  
  
"I..." Fraser's voice trailed off into silence and he made  
a small, helpless gesture with the hand not holding the mug. That small  
gesture hit Ray right in the heart. "I was worried. You... You  
were... I was worried."  
  
With that single phrase, Ray knew he couldn't use anger. Fraser was  
worried. About _him_. Ray couldn't yell at him for that.  
  
"It's- Fraser. Ya can't do that. Ya can't spy on people. I don't  
know if that's what ya do up there in Muckluckville or where ever the  
hell ya were raised, but that's not the way things are done down here  
in the states." Ray's voice was gentler, and Fraser found the courage  
to look up.  
  
"I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're my friend."  
The way Fraser said it, as if Ray were his _only_ friend just about  
broke Ray's heart.  
  
"And you're mine. Just, don't do it again, okay?"  
  
"Absolutely not. Never, ever again. I don't know what I was thinking-"  
Fraser began to apologise again.  
  
"Hey, cut that out. It's over. 'Kay?"  
  
"I just wish there were some way to make it up to you, because I  
just feel terrible-" Fraser continued on, ignoring the faint warning  
in Ray's voice.  
  
"Frase, enough. It's done." Ray was beginning to get annoyed.  
  
"And if there's anything I can do-"  
  
"You can shut it!" Ray yelled, exasperated. The silent Mountie  
had disappeared back into whatever mists had spawned him and the normal  
never-shuts-up Fraser was back.  
  
"I just-"  
  
Ticked and only thinking of quieting Fraser's continued apologies, Ray  
slammed his cup down on the table next to his chair, and lunged for the  
babbling Mountie. Clasping Fraser's head between his palms, Ray brought  
his lips down forcefully over the other man's, finally silencing him.  
  
For long moments they stayed just like that, unmoving, Ray's lips mashed  
up against Fraser's. Not much of a kiss, more like a gag. But enough  
of a kiss to make Ray suddenly panic.  
  
* _Fuck, fuck, fuck. What am I doing, what have I done, why aren't  
I stopping, why isn't he stopping me?_* Pulling away, Ray collapsed  
into the chair opposite and buried his head in his hands. "Oh,  
God, Frase... I'm- I'm sorry. I don't know what-"  
  
Ray was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Fraser crouched between  
his legs. He felt those big, beautiful hands reach out to gently grasp  
his head over his ears and pull him forward into another kiss - this  
one sweet and gentle and soft, all the things the first one wasn't.   
It seemed to go on forever, that gentle meeting of lips, before finally  
Ray had to pull back to breath. Just far enough to breath. He was still  
close enough to feel the heated explosions of Fraser's breath against  
his own mouth.  
  
"I... Hey, Fr-Benton. Hey, Ben-Benny-Benton." Leaning his  
forehead against Fraser's, Ray looked into those amazing blue eyes from  
close range and felt a small smile flirting at the edges of his mouth.  
  
"Yes, Ray." There was a softness around Fraser's eyes that  
Ray had never seen before, and his voice was all quiet and tender.  
  
"Yer tea's getting cold." And Ray grinned, because he knew  
it was all going to be okay.  
  
"I don't care Ray." And Ben smiled, because he knew it was  
all going to be okay.  
  
It was good.  
  
End.  



End file.
